Q & A with Paul Duren

Duren is back and says he will be ready to go against the Huskers on August 30. The scrimmage on Thursday was a major step for the Cowboys' returning leading tackler.

ROBERT ALLEN: Do you feel
pretty good after going through your first scrimmage?

PAUL DUREN: It felt real
good to be out there and be with the team instead of being over there on the
sideline doing rehab. I got a little fatigued today, but I will be all right on
Aug. 30.

RA: How tough was all the
rehab that you went through?

DUREN: It was frustrating
that it took so long, but we had a doctor that came through and do this new
thing that they are doing with hamstring pulls and it helped out a ton. He's a
chiropractor, and it's some new deal that they are doing. A military guy thought
of it, and it helps out a lot.

RA: This was probably the
best weather for you to keep the hamstring loose. It was sure warm enough to
keep any muscle loose out there.

DUREN: I was loose, but it
gets fatigued real quick when you have been off of it so long. I felt all right,
I felt pretty good.

RA: Isn't Donovan Woods a
pretty good guy to have back there running the scout team offense? I would think
he would give the defense a real good idea of what it is like to play against
Jammal Lord.

DUREN: He is a stud. He is
built almost exactly like Jammal Lord. I think he is going to be a great player
for us. He gives us a great look. He is fast now!

RA: I noticed today that
even when an offensive player on the scout team got loose, he never got all the
way loose. The speed of this defense is sensational, isn't it?

DUREN: That's what we did
all summer, we tried to work on our speed. I think our secondary is 10 times
faster than they were last year, and I think it is going tohelp them out a lot
on cover skills. You know, from the summer until now, we are a totally different
team when it comes to speed.

RA: I know it was hard to
see positives with your injury, but while you were out Pagitte McGee and Glenn
Jackson got a lot of reps with the first team defense. Can you tell where it has
made them a lot better?

DUREN: They've got 10 times
better. They've learned the defense better, and they are playing a lot better.
Once you get an understanding of this defense, your effort level can move up and
you play a lot better.

RA: One more week and you
feel like you will be ready in everyway that you need to be?

DUREN: I feel like the
shape may not be all the way there, but from what Coach Clay has said we will
have some rotation in there. We'll see, but I will be ready to do whatever I
need to.